Safety jacket



g- 2, 1949- T. LA MAIDA 2,477,989

SAFETY JACKET Filed Aug. 29, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y INVENTOR. 3/2 5901 .LG Mal'da Aug-1 Z, 1949. T.LA MAIDA 2,477,939

: v "ISAFETX JACKET I Filed Aug. 29,1946 2 Sheets-Sh t 2 IN VEN TOR.

. (Waldo Pat-entea Aug.2,1 949 i 2,477,989

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At the forward extremities of the portions 6 and I, straps 9 of meal, or other suitable material, are secured suitably, for a purpose to be described hereinafter. If desired, padding material I may be secured suitably to the portions -6 and I for the comfort of the wearer. However, it is within the purview of this invention to construct the safety jacket without padding material, if desired.

The front section, clearly shown in Figure 2, is composed of a unitary rigid section II being reinforced in any suitable manner, if desired, as for example, by a reinforcing strip I2, and having secured at its upper end a pair of hook-like members I3 which are adapted .to be secured to the straps 9 in the manner shown in Figure 6 when the front section I I is suspended from the shoulder portions 6 and I as in Figure 4. The hooks I3 may be secured to the front section II in any suitable manner as by means of rivets l4, or otherwise. pended in the manner shown in Figure 4, the sides of the front and back sections will overlap as at I in Figure 5 so that protection will be afforded completely around the body of a wearer. To maintain the overlapping relationship between the back and front sections and to securely hold these parts in position on a wearer, a belt fastening means denoted generally by reference numeral I6 is provided. The belt fastening means I6 is composed of a strap I! of any suitable material riveted as at I8, or otherwise suitably secured, to the back section, as shown in Figure 3. Preferably the strap I1 is made of a heavy elastic web material. The free ends of the strap I1 are provided with cooperating buckle members I9 and of a type which may be quickly fastened and unfastened, for example one having a tongue 2| on one buckle member adapted to fit into a slot 22 on the other buckle member. As shown in Figure 4, the free ends of the strap I! are adapted to encircle the front section II for buckling as shown in Figure 4 to hold the parts in wearing position. In order to adapt the safety jacket for various girths, the strap is provided with a conventional adjusting means 23 for adjusting its length. Also, the overlap at I5 is made preferably substantial so as to insure an overlap for wearers of large girth.

In Figure 7 a modified form of back section is illustrated differing from the back section shown in Figure 3 primarily in the shape of the portions 4', 5', 6, and 1 and in the arrangement and number of the hinges 8. The operation of the back section of Figure 7 is the same as that of Figure 3 and also may be used with the front section II.

In Figure 8 there is illustrated a portion of still another modified back section provided with a different type of hinge means from that shown in Figures 3 and 7. The Figure 8 embodiment utilizes the rings 24 passing through openings 25 in the portions 4", 5", 6", and I for joining the several portions of the back section. This form of hinge provides for a readily flexible seam constituting a relatively loose connection between the portions so as to permit pivotal movement of the portions 4", 5", 6", and 1 simultaneously along both the vertical and horizontal seams. This double pivoting about both seams simultaneously, due primarily to the loose connection of the hinge means, further facilitates expeditious donning and dofiing of the jacket, as described hereinafter.

In operation, in donning the safety jacket, the wearer first places the back section in position When the front section II is suswith the curved portions 6 and I resting on the shoulders. In placing the back section in this manner the rigid portions thereof may be moved about their pivots at the seams to facilitate placing the section in position. Then the front section II is suspended from the shoulder portions 5 and 1 with the hooks I3 engaging the straps 9. Then the belt fastening means I6 is carried forwardly and buckled to encircle the front section I I and hold same in cooperative relationship with the back section.

Now when it is desired to remove the safety jacket of this invention, the steps are reversed. First the belt I5 is unbuckled, then the front section II is lifted and then the back section is flexed backwardly about the vertical and/or the horizontal seams to quickly disengage the back and shoulder portions from the body. The construction of the safety jacket Of this invention is such that the removal of the jacket from the body of a wearer may be performed effectively in the shortest possible time. More specifically, it is to be noted that no buttons or cumbersome securing means are utilized to hold the sections of the jacket together, the buckle may be quickly separated merely by sliding buckle portion I9 relatively to buckle portion 20 to disengage the tongue 2| from the slot 22. Similarly, the front section I I is removed by merely a lifting operation. The back section may be quickly removed merely by engaging the front extremities of the portions 6 and I with the thumbs and then by a slight tilting upwardly and outwardly, the back section will flex at one or both of the seams 2 and 3 and quickly become disengaged from the body of the wearer. In removing the safety jacket of this invention, it has been shown that the jacket can be removed in a matter of a second or two. The lifting motion to remove the front section I I and applying the thumbs to the shoulder portions 6 and 1 for removing the back section may b performed in one sweeping motion during which the front section II is permitted to drop as soon as disengaged.

It is thus evident that a safety jacket has been provided which will give a wearer adequate protection against missiles of various types, which is lightweight, can be worn without causing the wearer to feel tired or uncomfortable, which is properly balanced on the shoulders of a wearer, and which can be quickly donned and quickly discarded in a matter of a few seconds. It is pointed out that having the horizontal seam 3 as shown, where it will be adapted to be positioned immediately adjacent the shoulder blades of a wearer, constitutes an essential feature of this invention, especially in combination with the vertical seam 2. It is only through the use of these seams positioned, as shown, that the curved upper portions 6 and I engaging the shoulders can be quickly released from the shoulders without tugging and pulling on the jacket. The shoulder portions 6 and 1 will tilt upwardly and backwardly due to the horizontal seam 3 and will also tilt somewhat outwardly to the sides due to the vertical seam 2. Also, it is to be noted that though a quickly removable jacket has been provided, the rigid bullet-resistant character of the jacket has not been sacrificed.

In use when the jacket is worn the brunt of the weight of the jacket is carried by the shoulders of the wearer and for this reason, the padding ID will be found to be of advantage in uniformly distributing the weight of the jacket on the shoulders of the wearer irrespective of the shape of the shoulders and give the wearer a comfortable feeling in any position assumed by the wearer. Also in use, the jacket can be worn either under or over clothing.

Though certain shapes for the front and back sections are described and illustrated, it is within the purview of this invention to utilize other shapes for either or both of the front or back sections, or for the several portions of the back section. Also, if desired the shoulder portions, 6 and 1 can be made wider than illustrated to give greater shoulder protection.

In manufacture, the sections of the jacket can be molded to proper size, or can be out from larger sheets. The front section II, as illustrated, is out long and in a V-shape to extend as far as the groin, but it is also within the purview of this invention to make the front section shorter to adapt it for wear under a coat. Also other styles for the front section can be used. Also, the front section can be omitted, if desired.

While the invention has been described in more or less detail, it is not to be limited thereby, as changes may be made in the form, arrangement, and construction of parts, and equivalents may be substituted, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed, the forms herelnbefore described being merely preferred embodiments thereof.

I claim:

1. A safety jacket for protecting the body of a wearer, comprising a back portion and a front portion, curved extensions on the back portion adapted to extend over the shoulders of the wearer, horizontally extending straps on the forward ends of the curved extensions, and downwardly directed hooks on the upper edge of'the front portion adapted to engage said straps.

2. A safety jacket for protecting the body of a wearer, comprising a back portion consisting of upper and lower sections hingedly connected by horizontal hinges at approximately the shoulder .6 blades, said sections each consisting of two panels having adjacent vertical edges, the upper panels being provided with curved portions adapted to extend over the shoulders of the wearer, and hinge connections between the adjacent vertical edges of the upper and lower panels.

3. A safety jacket for protecting the body of a wearer, comprising a front portion and a'back portion, said back portion consisting of upper and lower sections hingedly connected by horizontal hinges at approximately the shoulder blades, said sections each consisting of two panels having adjacent vertical edges, the upper panels being provided with curved portions adapted to extend over the shoulders of the wearer, hinge connec tions between the adjacent vertical edges of the upper and lower panels, and slidably engageable connections on the forward edges of the curved portions and the upper end of the front portion.

4. A safety jacket for protecting the body of a wearer, comprising a back portion, curved extensions on the back portion adapted to extend over the shoulders of the wearer, a plate-like front portion overlapping said extensions, and vertically-slidable engageable and disengageable connections between the extensions and. the plate-like front portion, whereby the front portion need be moved in an upward direction only in order to be detached from the back portion.

THOMAS LA MAIDA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

, UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 301,358 Grebe July 1, 1884 642,649 Vaughan Feb. 6, 1900 1,163,094 Kurek Dec. 7, 1915 1,294,191 Suderlock Feb. 11, 1919 

